SBA announces Colorado's Excellence and Innovation Award, Small Business Person of the Year

SBA announces Colorado's Excellence and Innovation Award, Small Business Person of the Year

21-May-2014 The Small Business Administration (SBA) Region VIII announced today that the Colorado Springs Business Development Center (SBDC) was awarded the 2014 Region VIII SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award. The SBA also awarded Jan Erickson, president of Janska, LLC, of Colorado Springs, as this year's Colorado Small Business Person of the Year. "During the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest wildfires, the Colorado Springs SBDC jumped right in with volunteers to provide relief and recovery assistance," said Matt Varilek, SBA's Region VIII administrator. "Their efforts went beyond our expectations, and we are now very proud to recognize them throughout Region VIII." Over the past two years, the Colorado Springs area has experienced devastating fires and flooding. The Colorado Springs SBDC responded with a disaster relief program to help businesses with relief, recovery and preparedness through consulting, preparedness workshops and the first annual Business Protection Summit and Resource Day. "Leadership, compassion and professionalism best describe the efforts of this center through all the disasters in Colorado," said Kelly Manning, state director of the Colorado SBDC. "Colorado Springs truly stepped up for the state, and our businesses are better today due to those efforts. We thank the Colorado Springs SBDC for its past and ongoing efforts to provide critical services to its community." In addition to responding to disasters, the Colorado Springs SBDC expanded consulting and facilitator services, as well as the existing veterans program, and conducted workshops on the Affordable Care Act and Connect For Health Colorado. "The Colorado Springs SBDC team continues to be on the forefront of disaster relief for the Colorado Springs area," said Colorado district director Greg Lopez. "When the disasters occurred, the Colorado Springs SBDC was immediately ready to assist small businesses with information and resources they desperately needed." The Colorado Springs SSBDC will be honored at a local event in the near future. The SBA also awarded Jan Erickson, president of Colorado Springs-based women's clothing maker Janska, LLC, the 2013 Colorado Small Business Person of the Year. Erickson will join small business honorees from all 50 states at SBA's National Small Business Week on May 15-16, where one person will be selected as National Small Business Person of the Year. "It's our privilege to honor these outstanding small businesses," Varilek said. "We hope this well-deserved recognition from the SBA will call attention to their success and inspire more people in Colorado to pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams."